1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to forms used for covering plumbing drain lines. In particular, the present invention discloses a molded and plasticized form (such as may also be constructed of foam) which is secured over a rough-in area in which a plumbing drain line, prior to the pouring of a cement floor, and which isolates the upwardly angled drain line from the encircling cement and prevents the concrete from encroaching within the rough-in area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is documented with examples of protection devices and schemes for use with protecting and providing access to floor drain lines and the like. One known example is the construction of boxes, composed of assembled 2″×4″ wooden studs, and constructed so as to be placed over a roughed-in floor drain area. The rough-in 2″×4″ construction is normally used in order to isolate and protect the rough-in drain at the time of the pouring of a concrete (or cement) floor, and such as is typically used for bathtub, whirlpool, shower and mop sink rough-in drain lines and floor drains.
While providing a somewhat effective solution for isolating and protecting a roughed-in floor drain, such 2″×4″ stud constructions suffer from a number of shortcomings, including having to be forcibly disassembled from the encircling poured concrete. The result of this is typically lost time on the jobsite and the inconvenience of manually fashioning such stud constructions.
Other examples drawn from the prior art include Jacobus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,050, and which teaches a plastic concrete form for footers including a thermoplastic sidewall, which forms one surface of a concrete form. The sidewall incorporates a drainage tile as an integral unit and two of the sidewalls combined can provide a form for a concrete footer to be poured and which will remain a permanent part of the structure.
Harbeke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,527, teaches a plumbing concrete form accessory which includes a relatively large hollow displacement member having a hole in a wall thereof and defining a sleeve about the hole for snugly fitting the outside surface of a pipe. A dissolving type of adhesive is used to adhere the sleeve adjacent a first end of the pipe and a second end of the pipe is mounted to a concrete form by means of a slidable flange which is also adhered to the outside surface of the pipe.
Cornwall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,598, teaches a concrete floor embedded coupling for a plastic pipe and which is adapted to be embedded in a concrete floor to form part of a fluid flow path with an interiorly positioned pipe. Finally, Aleshire, U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,655 teaches a structure and method for installation of a drain conduit at a proper elevation with respect to an adjacent surface in a floor, parking lot or the like. The drain conduit is positioned within a trench and support structure (concrete or other solidifiable material) is poured into the trench to support and secure the position of the drain conduit. After the conduit has partially solidified and is capable of supporting the drain conduit, the support structure is removed and is reused in another installation.